THE COMMON PROBLEMS OF THAI UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ON ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION ERRORS

Thai students learn English as an international language. One of the goals for English teachers is to help students to be able to communicate in English. However, many factors are involved such as grammatical structure and vocabulary. Pronunciation is also one of those factors. A limited number of researches on Thai university students’ pronunciation errors could be found with the use of teacher’s observation and interview. Therefore, this study aims to bring those aspects into account. There were 122 Thai university participants in this study. Observation checklist and semi-structured interview were employed. Numbers of frequency and percentage were used for observation data; while coding, frequency, and percentage were used for interview data. The majority of them mispronounced (97.54%). Three major errors were found: (1) ending sounds, (2) stress, (3) starting sounds. The top outstanding finding among the pronunciation errors of most students was that they did not realize that their pronunciations were wrong. One interesting finding was that their pronunciation errors had been much influenced from their high school English teachers whose pronunciations might also incorrect and led to their mistakes in pronunciation in the same way. Additionally, the students’ misperception about English pronunciation in some words make them pronounce wrongly because they understand that the pronunciation of the sounds show professionalism, especially the “R” and the “S” sounds. Then, the findings can be applied to plan for English pronunciation lesson that English teachers can focus on while teaching

FOSTERING COLLABORATIVE ENGAGEMENT: STRATEGIES FOR STAKEHOLDER COOPERATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA

Investigated strategies for stakeholder cooperation in Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Zambia. Emphasized collaboration between government, educators, families, and community organizations. Applied an interpretivist-phenomenological design with qualitative methods (interviews, observations, document review). Involved 10 purposively selected participants. Identified key barriers and enablers of stakeholder engagement. Recommended improved communication, stakeholder training, and formal collaboration policies

A FORUM FOR CONSTRUCTIVE PUBLIC DISCOURSE: A NEEDS ANALYSIS

The recent prevalence of various AI tools and online platforms has digitized how L2 learners approach learning English in higher education. Learners can now easily access not only language support online but can also share their ideas and voice their opinions on a range of platforms. With more opportunities to interact online, instead of the more traditional transactional usage of language tools, learners need to be prepared for how to express themselves and how to deal with feedback. Current research has largely focused on medical forums when analyzing the posting of Japanese higher education learners. Before constructing a public forum for English language learners in Japanese higher education to share their voices on a host of opinions and issues, a needs analysis study was conducted to assess what online tools and platforms language learners currently utilize, what they learn from their experiences, and how they would like to shape future interactions and platforms. A survey was carried out with 150 first-year university students anonymously, online, and in English. Semantic analysis (Liu, 2022) was employed to draw out pertinent findings, along with a modified version of Chun, Kern, and Smith’s (2016) framework for analysis. Findings suggest that learners are typically passive with their interactions on public forums, but a sizable minority seek to learn more about being more involved in public discourse. This presentation will detail the study’s findings and discuss how they will shape the creation of a forum for constructive public discourse aimed at Japanese university students

EFFECT OF TRANSFORMATIONAL, TRANSACTIONAL AND AMBIDEXTROUS LEADERSHIP ON PUBLIC HEALTH EMPLOYEE SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF GOVERNANCE QUALITY

The importance of employee well-being in healthcare is crucial because of the urgent and ongoing demands for the delivery of care and service to patients. The service level and treatment delivery are often inefficient, ineffective, and not patient-friendly due to high workloads, unforeseen tasks, emergencies, bad working circumstances, lack of managerial support, and inadequate equipment. These difficulties require comprehensive healthcare solutions that address all aspects of employee well-being. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on how factors such as leadership styles and governance quality might improve employee sustainable performance in the healthcare sector.  This study examined the correlation between transactional, and ambidextrous leadership styles and the sustainable performance of employees in healthcare units. The study also examined how governance quality influences the connection between leadership styles and the sustainable performance of employees. The main objective of this research was to provide a framework for healthcare leadership and employee sustainability in order to improve healthcare services for the population of Nigeria. The study employed a cross-sectional quantitative approach, gathering data using both online and in-person survey questionnaires. The study sample comprised medical physicians employed in the public healthcare sector of the southeastern states in Nigeria. A method of sampling called proportionate stratified random sampling was employed to select a subset of individuals from the intended population. The software program SPSS was utilized to do descriptive statistical analysis, while the SmartPLS software was employed to examine the correlations between the variables using structural equation modeling.  We received a total of 117 responses that were usable. The results indicated a strong and favorable correlation between transactional, ambidextrous leadership styles, governance quality, and employee sustainable performance. The conditional path analysis indicated that there was no mediating effect of governance quality on the association between ambidextrous leadership styles and employee sustainable performance.  The transactional leadership styles and employee sustainable performance is totally mediated by governance quality. The study was noteworthy because its findings aligned with the theories of leadership, governance excellence, and employee sustainable performance. The study has furnished empirical evidence to practitioners and policymakers in health and public sector organizations regarding the correlation between leadership styles, employee sustainable performance, and the role of governance quality as a mediator. The findings emphasized the necessary leadership behaviors required for managing healthcare institutions and achieving long-term employee engagement. Health managers can enhance their understanding of organizational leadership, employee well-being, and institutional quality dynamics by utilizing a framework that enables them to reevaluate their competencies and identify areas for improvement. Future researchers are advised to employ larger sample sizes and qualitative research approaches in order to generalize the findings of this study. It is imperative to extend the inclusion of other groups, such as administrative workers and technicians, as they play a crucial role in the functioning of the healthcare delivery system. Conducting research on the extensive private healthcare sector, despite the fact that their employees' sustainable performance is not as poor as that of the public healthcare sector is needed

SUCCESSFUL SELF-EMPLOYMENT RE-EMPLOYMENT AMONG MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS IN TAIWAN: AN ADULT LEARNING PERSPECTIVE

Global aging presents a significant challenge, leading to the rise of the concept of "encore career," where continue working after retirement benefits individuals, families, and society. This study aims to explore the re-employment process of middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan through self-employment. Using qualitative research methods, 33 successfully self-re-employed individuals were interviewed, with an average age of 57.3 and an average self-employment duration of 5.6 years. Findings include: (1) External factors for re-employment include meeting economic needs and ensuring financial security, while intrinsic motivation centers on self-fulfillment; (2) Learning motivation stems from acquiring knowledge and experience in new work; (3) Participants overcame employment challenges through self-empowerment, consulting experts, persistent efforts, and leveraging past experiences and resources; (4) Benefits of re-employment include a sense of achievement, expanded social networks, and enhanced quality of life. These findings provide insight for policymakers and middle-aged or elderly individuals considering self-employment. &nbsp

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF SENIOR NURSE MANAGERS IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL: AN ASSESSMENT

This descriptive correlational study assessed the emotional intelligence of senior nurse managers in a tertiary hospital utilizing the “Schutte Self-report Emotional Test (SSEIT)” by Schutte et al. (2009). Results showed that most senior nurse managers belonged to the 36-40-year-old group; female; married; have served in their current position for more than 5 years but less than 10 years; BSN holders; and Roman Catholic. They have a moderate level of emotional intelligence in all the dimensions: Perception of Emotion, Managing Own Emotions, Managing Other Emotions, and Utilization of Emotion. There was a significant relationship between the senior nurse managers' profile sex and their level of emotional intelligence in all the dimensions except managing their own emotions; the senior nurse managers' profile years served in the current position, and their level of emotional intelligence in the dimension - utilization of emotion; and lastly, there were no significant relationships as to their age, sex, marital status, educational qualification, or religion and their level of emotional intelligence in all the dimensions. It was recommended that senior nurse managers must be: willing to explore more and understand emotions – theirs and others; continue practicing mindfulness and be attentive to their thoughts, feelings, and reactions in various situations in the workplace; utilize their inner strength and resilience to steer difficult situations in the hospital with grace and composure like stepping outside their comfort zone even when it feels uncomfortable so they can seek new experiences and perspectives and embrace opportunities for emotional growth and self-discovery; lastly, they must continue practicing active listening skills and being connected with others like their co-workers or their patients on a deeper emotional level

IGBO APPRENTICESHIP MODEL AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN ABIA STATE

The study examined the effect of the Igbo apprenticeship model on Entrepreneurship Development in Abia state. The specific objectives were to; examine the effect of skills acquisition on entrepreneurship development and evaluate the effect of training on entrepreneurship development in Abia state. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. A questionnaire design with a 4-point Likert scale was used to collect data. Using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to the acquired data (SPSS 28.0). Analysis was conducted using simple linear regression analysis.  The result revealed that Skills acquisition has a significant effect on entrepreneurship development with a value of (F = 29.618; p = 0.002), and also, Training had a significant effect on entrepreneurship development with avalue of (F = 21.371; p = 0.003) in Abia state. The study concluded that the Igbo apprenticeship model had a significant and positive effect on entrepreneurship development in Abia State. The study recommended that the government and relevant agencies should recognize and provide institutional support to the Igbo apprenticeship model

ASSESSING SOUTH AFRICA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Environmental sustainability is essential element of the global focus based on 26th UN climate change conference, 2021. Essentially, recent rapid economic growth in South Africa (SA) has created verifying environmental sustainability. Sequel to this, this study assesses SA economic growth and Foreign Direct Investment, implications for environmental sustainability span over 1986-2022. Environmental Kuznet Hypothesis is the framework adopted for the study using ARDL techniques to assess the long-run connection amid the variables. The findings signify that rises in economic growth creates more carbon emissions, then begins to fall at a particular level, thereby confirming Environmental Kuznet Hypothesis for SA. The causality approach signifies that Foreign Direct Investment, urban population and economic growth contribute significantly to carbon emission threshold in SA. Essentially, future researchers may choose to adapt the study to Sub-Saharan Africa and incorporate one or more control variables

LACK OF CONSUMER ADOPTION OF CONVERSATIONAL ROBOTS IN THE ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR U.S.-BASED CUSTOMERS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Artificial intelligence technology continues to grow, with 2025 expected to exceed $17 billion USD in investments. Chatbots, or conversational robots, are a popular form of artificial intelligence technology used in marketing that involves consumer spending projected to surpass$72 billion USD by 2028. However, consumer reactions to chatbots continue to be a challenge despite marketers’ excitement. The problem addressed by this study was the lack of consumer adoption of conversational robots in the online marketplace. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the lack of consumer conversational robots in the position of Facebook users in the United States. The chosen framework for this research was the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), introduced by Alfred Davis in 1989 to assess users’ attitudes toward technology by measuring their perspectives of perceived use and perceived ease of use. Two research questions were developed to address the research problem. The methodology used was a qualitative case study design, which permitted five open-ended interview questions to answer the two research questions by interviewing 20 participants. Participants were recruited via Facebook, followed by 20 interviews spanning over two months. All interviews were recorded and transcribed using NVivo 15 software and later analyzed using an open-coded inductive thematic analysis to generate categories and themes. Results revealed that consumers desire improved personalization of chatbots and reduced screen interference during their online shopping experiences. Implications of the study indicated the following: 1) perceived usefulness showed no significant relationship with consumers, 2) frustration, annoyance, impatience, intrusiveness, and mistrust were key reasons for avoiding text-based chatbots, 3) user satisfaction with chatbot interactions impacted online purchase intention, 4) consumers perceived chatbots as not useful due to their limited human-like interaction, lack of helpfulness, and inability to address questions sufficiently, and 5) increased anthropomorphism can positively influence user engagement and comfortability. Recommendations for practice and future research include web developers and marketers refining how chatbots are deployed on a webpage, artificial intelligence developers evolving chatbot personalization, and researchers expanding this study by exploring commonalities in specific demographic groups to uncover deeper insights on chatbot adoption

OIL PRICES, EXCHANGE RATE VOLATILITY AND FDI INFLOWS ON THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF GHANA: WAVELET TECHNIQUE AND ARDL APPROACH

Ghana, like many other developing economies, is intricately connected to global economic trends and fluctuations. This paper investigates the influence of oil prices, exchange rate volatility and FDI inflows on Ghana’s economic growth. Moreover, it determines the level of interdependencies and the lead/lag connectedness among the variables. The study utilizes time series data from 1995 to 2022 and applies the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model as well as Wavelet Multiple techniques (Wavelet Multiple Correlation (WMC) and Wavelet Multiple Cross-Correlation (WMCC)). Based on the ARDL model, oil prices and exchange rate volatility adversely impact Ghana’s GDP. However, FDI inflows reveal a positive and significant relationship to GDP. Using the Wavelet model, the WMC result demonstrates stronger interdependence among the variables. Finally, the outcome from WMCC indicates that the exchange rate is the dominant variable without any lag that plays a pivotal role in determining the coherence among the economic indicators. Therefore, the study suggests that investment in renewable energy, diversification of export products and markets, enhancement of exchange rate framework, promotion of local content and linkages, and monitoring and evaluation of anti-corruption measures should be encouraged to boost the economy of Ghana